snowfields
Alpine blankets above
Snowfields are broad, relatively flat expanses of permanent snow, typically found at high altitudes or in polar regions.
Unlike glaciers, snowfields don't move significantly under their own weight.
The term appears in mountaineering and geography: We crossed the snowfields below the summit.
A snowfield may also describe any large area covered in snow.
Year-old compacting snow
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
- ablationRemoval by cutting, melting
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- glaciologyStudy of ice masses
cirque · icecap · névé · glacial · outwash · till · ice · calving
Sport of climbing peaks
- summitPeak or diplomatic gathering
- elevationHeight above reference point
- cramponsSpiked boot attachments
- crevasseDeep glacial fissure
avalanche · basecamp · trekking · alpinist · cordillera · serac · icefall · traverse
Violent prolonged snowstorm
- skiingSnow sport on runners
- flurriesBrief, light precipitation
- whiteoutSnow blindness weather
- frostThin ice coating
sledding · powder · drifts · frozen · cold · seasonal · thaw · melt
Not contacted or affected
- virginOne sexually inexperienced
- unspoiledNot damaged or degraded
- pureUnmixed, without impurities
- glisteningReflecting light softly
sparkling · crystalline · white · untrodden · immaculate · unblemished · fresh · remote
firn
Year-old compacting snow
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
- ablationRemoval by cutting, melting
- accumulationCollected mass over time
glaciology · cirque · icecap · névé · glacial · outwash · till · ice · calving · meltwater
mountaineering
Sport of climbing peaks
- summitPeak or diplomatic gathering
- elevationHeight above reference point
- cramponsSpiked boot attachments
crevasse · avalanche · basecamp · trekking · alpinist · cordillera · serac · icefall · traverse · couloir
blizzard
Violent prolonged snowstorm
frost · sledding · powder · drifts · frozen · cold · seasonal · thaw · melt · accumulation
untouched
Not contacted or affected
glistening · sparkling · crystalline · white · untrodden · immaculate · unblemished · fresh · remote · wilderness
vastness
State of being immense
- horizonApparent earth-sky meeting
- boundlessWithout any boundaries
- panoramaUnobstructed wide-angle view
terrain · landscape · stretch · endless · unbroken · blanket · whiteness · sweep · immensity · openness
- Alpine terrainpeaks, valleys, glacial lakes, mountain passes, ridges
- AlpsAlps, Swiss Alps, Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Austrian Alps
- Arctic/Tundratundra, permafrost, glacier, arctic fox, polar bear
- Frozen landscapesArctic, Antarctic, tundra, ice sheet, ice sheets
- mountain hikingmountain trails, summit trail, ridgeline, trailhead, trail map
- mountain termsAlps, Himalayas, Rockies, Andes, peaks
snowfieldsgrasslands
Open grassy terrain
sand dunes · dustbowl · mudflats · meadows · tundra
snowfieldsdesert
To leave behind completely
Death Valley · Sahara · tropics · tropical jungle · rainforest